Gramophone, phonograph, and the like



J. HOFFAY.

GRAMOPHONE, PHONOGRAPH,AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, l9l5.

1,326,932. Patented Jan. 6,1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES j ,j/ [MENTOR A TTORNE Y S J. HOFFAY.

GRAMOPHONE, PHONOGRAPH, AND THE LIKE.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

4 SHEETb-SHEET 2 APPLHIATION FILED FEB.26.19I5.

ATTORNEYS 1. HOFFAY.

GRAMOPHONE, PHONOGRAPH, AND THE LlKE.

APPLICATION HLED FEB,26 19I5.

1,326,932. Patented Jan. 6,1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES INVENTOR aw-$4M J /7 Wgfimh 22:

A TI'ORNEYS J. HOFFAY.'

GRAMOPHONE, PHONOGRAPH,AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED r53. 26, 1915.

1,326,932, Patented Jan. 6, 1920..

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITNESSES I INVENTOR UNITED STATES JOSE HOFFAY, OF SOUTH IZENfSINGTON, LONDON, ENGLAND.

GRAMOIPHONE, PHONOGEAPIEI, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Application filed February 26, 1915. Serial No. 10,698.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osn Horrxr, a citizen of the Republic of Mexico. and a resident of South Kensington, London, Englanchhave invented new and useful Improvements in Gramophones, Phonographs, and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in or connected with sound boxes forgramophones, phonographs and the like.

The invention comprises mounting a stylus lever on a. single rigid pivot in such manner as to permit the stylus holder to partake of universal rocking movement on the pivot point, apex or head (hereinafter referred to as the pivot point.)

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated more or less diagraminatically and by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a front elevation partly in section of a sound box having a stylus lever mounted according to one form of the invention, and, for example, in a position suitable for playing zig-zag records.

Fig. 2 is a central elevation at right angles to Fig. 1, parts being omitted for the sake of clearness;

Fig. 3 is a back elevation;

F ig. l is a sectional plan on the line %4:, Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation; Fig. 6 a sectional )lan' F i 7 a sectional elevation Fi 8 an elevation of the right handlug of the bracket 21, Fig. 1; Fig. 9 a part sectionalelevation of the left-hand lug of the bracket 21, Fig. 1; of details on enlarged scales;

Fig. 10 is a front elevation partly in section of a modification;

Fig. 11 is a plan of a detail;

Fig. 12 is a front elevation; F 1g, 18 is a sectional elevation at right anglesto Fig. 1.2 of another modification Fig. 1419; a frontelevation; Fig. 15 is a section on the line 15, 1 5 of Fig- 14; and Figp16 is a section on the line 16 16. of F 15; of another modification.

In carrying out the invention according to-the examples of construction shown, 1 a single rigid pivot 14 is firmly supported,

preferably in alinement with the plane of the diaphragm, 1 on the sound box "15, with the pivot point directed outward in a radial direction; and a stylus lever 16, having a recess 17, which is preferably in alinement as shown, or in alinement in face view only with the stylus 18, is mounted with the recess engaging the pivot point, for the pur. pose of permitting universal rocking movement of the stylus holder 53, about the pivot point. 1

The pivot 1 1 may be supported at the periphery of the sound box, preferably on a rigid carrier 19, insulated, in known manner, by a mass of rubber or the like 20, from the casing of the sound box, Fig. 2. Here, the pivot is shown as screwed into a bracket 21, and locked by a nut 22, the bracket being secured by screws 23 to the carrier 19.

Or, the pivot may be supported by being directly screwed into a hole through the peripheral wall of the sound box; and may be adjustable longitudinally from the interior of the sound box, for example, by forming thebasic end of the pivot with a SC16W Clll61-11lCl; and may be locked by a nut.

Or, the pivot,14, may be'supported at one face of the sound box by a. bracket 24, so1- structed with a square base, and is preferably arranged, as shown in Figs. 5 and (3, with two opposite corners of the base in the same plane as or in a plane, parallel to that of the diaphragm;- By this COnStlLlCtlO11,Wl1811 the sound box is working, diaphragm in the direction of or transverse to the sound groove in the record, respec-- tively for zig -zag and for hill-and-dale records, the. rotation of the, record causes the pivot .to beengaged in theangle formed by adjacent sides of the pyramid, whereby a particularly rigidbearing is obtained.

In Figs. 1 to 11,. the recess 17 is formed in the yoke of a forkedstylus lever; and in Figs. 12 and 13, the recess-is formed in either with the tion, The hole is preferably beveled at each a slotted part 26, in a single arm stylus lever. I

It will be obvious that the pivot may be on the lever, and the recess may be in the sound box or equivalent. 7 I

In lieu of the pivot and recess above described, a ball-and-socket joint may be used.

The stylus lever is preferably forked, the

bifurcations or long arms being preferably held under permanent lateral stress, but may be of a single arm formation, and the pivot point may be held in engagement with the recess by, any suitable means.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 9, a forked stylus lever with a recess shown which is held in engagement with the pivot by a flexible retaining wire 27, under tension, passing through a hole 28, of substantially larger diameter, in the yoke of the stylus lever, and anchored to lugs 29, on the bracket 21, by adjustable tension nuts, 30, on the threaded ends of the wire, and looked by nuts, 54. The lugs are slotted respectively at opposite sides, Figs. 8 and 9, to facilitate engagement of the wire ends which pass freely through. center holes 31. The nuts may engage countersinks 32, in the lugs to centralize the wire ends.

The hole 28 in the yoke'of the stylus lever is preferably near to the pivot point, so as not to hamper the stylus lever in its vibraend and presents a bluntfknife edge 33, which constitutes an antifriction bearing where it engages the retaining wire.

The retaining wire may have its ends angularly disposed as shown, in which case the apex of the angle forms the point of engagement with the edge 33. A looped or other strong thread, cord or the like, connected at the ends to suitable tensioning means, may be substituted for the retaining wire.

; In Figs. 19 and 11, metal links 3%, 35, 36 take-the place of the retaining wire 27. The

links 35 may be substituted by looped or other threads, cords or the like. The central link 34L- is preferably resilient and is soldered or otherwise made fast to the yoke of the stylus lever, preferably near to the pivot point, so that a construction is obtained whereby the stylus lever is kept or aided in being keptin position for. working without the use of controlling means 39, as hereinafter referred to. To accommodate the meinhers 27 or 34:, the stylus holder is preferably channeled, as at 37 Or, the stylus holder may be left unchanneled and the central. link 34;, composed of one or more parts, may be made fast to the stylus holder instead of to the yoke as shown in Fig. 10 to dispense with the use of said controlling means, 39.

In the construction shown in Figs; 12 and 13, a spring 38, which may be adjustable, is arranged between and so as to co-act with the bracket 2%, near to the pivot point, and the top of the slot 26, in the stylus lever. The spring may be centered by engaging the basic end of the pivot 1d.

The stylus lever may have the free end of each long arm controlled, or controlled to a certain extent, from displacement, particularly in a plane more or less parallel to the diaphragm, to keep or aid in keepingthe stylus lever in position for working.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 9, wires, cords, or other flexible, inelastic, or resilient means 39, preferably adjustable, in normal condition, or under slight tension, and arranged preferably more or less parallel to the diaphragm 40, are employed to connect the long arm or arms of the stylus lever,

which actuates the diaphragm, with the peripheral or edge part of the sound box, preferably, at a point or points on the opposite side of the center of the diaphragm to that where the pivot 1a of the stylus lever is situated. As shown, the connectors are attached to the stylus arms at 411, and to adjustable screws as, in lugs 43, fast on the sound box, by means of loops 44, but they may be attached in any other convenient manner. d5

are lock-nuts for the screws 42. The connectors may be arranged on one or both sides of the diaphragm.

16 and 46 are holes in the usual tubular extension 47, to accommodate the passage of the long arm of the stylus lever and the con nectors at the back of the sound box, respec tively. v

as, 49am two flexible looped connectors, preferably under tension and of the same length, which connect the long arms of the stylus lever to the diaphragm and preferably keep the long arms under lateralstress. The connectors are shown as passed through a hole in the diaphragm and in washers 52 thereon, and knotted as at 50, 51, respectively, the holes being made air-tight.

In contradistinction to the form shown in Fig. 1, wherein the wire 27 is flexed at its junction with the respective knife-edge 33 of the stylus lever 16 and under longitudinal tension, 1 have shown a modification in Figs. 14:, 15, and 16, wherein a rod 60 is substituted for the wire 27; this rod is preferably grooved at its ends, as shown at 61, for rocking engagement with clamps 62 provided with segmental bows 63 at the points of rod engagement; the clamps 62 are provided with suitable openings therethrough for the passage of thumb-screws 64: threaded into the respective lugs 29, if employed, or directly into the sound box as shown, whereby said rod is adjustable toward or from the sound box and the fixed'pivot 14:; a rolling contact results, therefore, at the junction of the rod 60 with the respective knife-edge 33 and with the end clamps 62, thus permitting freedom of rocking movement of the stylus lever 16 on the pivot 14; by means of this connection it will be seen that the rod 60, being of such gage and material as to be capable of being sprung slightly out of its longitudinal axis as a result of the working of the stylus in the groove of the record in conjunction with the action ofthe clamps 62 and thumb screws 64, provides a positive, though resilient or yielding, means for insuring positive engagement of the stylus lever with the pivot it.

By mounting a stylus lever in the manner described, the stylus holder, (owing among other things to the resiliency of the long arm or arms of the stylus lever in a plane parallel to the diaphragm, and or to the resiliency or flexibility of the means which hold the pivot and the recess in engagement, and of the means which keep or aid in keeping the stylus lever in position for working,) is capable of partaking of universal rocking movement on the pivot point, whereby rigid resistance to the travel of the record, as is offered by a stylus holder when mounted on two rigid pivots or points as customarily, is avoided, while nevertheless a rigid pivot is retained. Owing to this, a stronger needle or stylus may be employed to attain a fuller volume of sound reproduction, while the noise arising from the friction of the stylus in the sound groove is not increased so much in proportion as hitherto. This is particularly advantageous when the sound box is arranged to play records of the zigzag type with which said noise or scratching is usually most pronounced.

Further, owing to the stylus lever being able to rock on a rigid pivot and transmit the sound vibrations in the record groove to the diaphragm in true accordance with their individual actual shapes or directions, a considerable number of infinitesimal sound vibrations in the record, (hitherto absorbed by the limited direction of oscillation of the stylus holder as allowed by the customary two rigid pivots or points, particularly when the sound vibrations in the record groove are not at right angles to the axis of the said two pivots or points) are by the present invention transmitted to the diaphragm thereby improving the reproduction.

Further, the universal movement of the stylus holder, as permitted by the single rigid pivot, will lessen wear of the bottom and walls of the record groove, and of the stylus.

a stylus lever connected at one end to said diaphragm, a single universal bearing for said lever upon said support, and means for yieldingly maintaining said lever in a predetermined position upon said bearing constructed to offer greater resistance to move ments oblique or parallel to said diaphragm than to movements normal to said diaphragm.

2. In a reproducer for a gramophone, phonograph or the like, the combination with a diaphragm and asupport therefor, of a stylus lever connected at one end to said diaphragm, a single universal bearing for said lever ar anged upon said support to re ceive the normal bearing thrust of said lever in a direction substantially parallel to said diaphragm, and means constantly exerting bearing thrust upon said lever constructed to maintain said lever yieldingly insaid normal position.

3. In a reproducer for a gramophone, phonograph or the like, the combination with a diaphragm and a support therefor, of a forked stylus lever embracing and con nected to opposite sides of said diaphragm, a single universal bearing for said lever upon said support substantially midway between the fork arms, and means acting lengthwise of said lever for pressing said lever constantly into engagement with its bearing.

4. In a reproducer for gramophones, phonographs or the like, the combination with a diaphragm and a support therefor, of a rigid bearing on said support in the plane of the diaphragm, a stylus holder freely engaging said bearing for universal movement in any direction, and means engaging said holder for yieldingly maintaining the same firmly on said bearing.

In tsetimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J. C. LARSEN, G. H. EMsLrn. 

